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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rash — hasty
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spell — magic
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rash — a series
  11. foot — a measure
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — a city
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — money
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. press — to push
  24. foot — the bottom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com